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B4-B6 > B4.1 - Ecosystems > Flashcards

B4.1 - Ecosystems Flashcards

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1
Q

What do arrows on a food chain show?

A
  • the transfer of biomass

- transfer of energy

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2
Q

what is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

A

a food chain is a small section of the whole food web

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3
Q

what do food chains show?

A

the feeding relationship in an ecosystem

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4
Q

what are producers?

A

organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis

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5
Q

what are primary consumers?

A

animals that eat plants or algae (herbivores)

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6
Q

what are secondary consumers?

A

carnivores that eat herbivores

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7
Q

what is a tertiary consumer?

A

a carnivore that eats other carnivores

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8
Q

what are apex predators?

A

carnivores that have no other predators

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9
Q

what are decomposers

A

organisms that get energy from feeding on dead materials

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10
Q

what are consumers?

A

organisms that cannot make their own food and so have to eat other organisms

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11
Q

what are trophic levels?

A

each step in the food chain (where they feed)

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12
Q

what is a community?

A

organisms living within an ecosystem

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13
Q

define population

A

the total number of organisms of each species

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14
Q

what happens when an organism grows?

A

increases its biomass

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15
Q

state the factors affecting ecosystems and give a brief description

A
  • biotic (living - beech trees, squirrels, hedgehogs)
  • abiotic (nonliving - amount of rainfall, temperature of ecosystem)
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16
Q

what biotic factors affect communities? (4)

A
  • food availability
  • breeding partners
  • COMPETITION
  • new pathogens
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17
Q

how does light intensity affect communities?

A
  • greater light available = greater plant success

- plants adapt for maximum absorption (larger leaves in low light)

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18
Q

how does temperature affect communities?

A
  • affects enzymes controlling metabolic reactions

- plants develop faster

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19
Q

how does low moisture level affect plants?

A
  • causes plants to wilt (low turgor pressure)
  • water needed to keep cells turgid
  • affects photosynthesis
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20
Q

what does the pH of soil affect?

A
  • biological activity in soil

- availability of certain minerals

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21
Q

what kind of plants grow better in acidic soils?

A

ferns

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22
Q

what do plants need to survive? (5)

A
  • light
  • water
  • carbon dioxide
  • minerals
  • space
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23
Q

what do animals need to survive? (5)

A
  • food
  • water
  • breeding partner
  • space
  • shelter
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24
Q

define population

A

the number of organisms of each species living in an area

25
Q

what is interdependence within a community?

A

how different organisms depend on each other

26
Q

what are ecological relationships?

A

interactions between organisms

27
Q

what are the three main types of ecological relationships

A
  • predation
  • mutualism
  • parasitism
28
Q

what is predation the relationship of?

A
  • relationship between predator and prey
29
Q

what is mutualistic relationship?

A
  • both organisms benefit
30
Q

give an example of a mutualistic relationship

A

bees taking pollen from plants

bees can make honey, plants become fertilised

31
Q

what is a parasitism relationship?

A

one organism gains (parasite), other suffers (host)

32
Q

give an example of a parasitism relationship

A

tapeworms in a human’s digestive system

33
Q

what is commensalism?

A

one organism benefits from, but the other one is unaffected

34
Q

what is an example of a commensalistic relationship?

A

tree frogs use plants as protection

35
Q

what is a biotic factor?

A

a factor relating to animals (ie. competition of mating)

36
Q

what is an abiotic factor?

A

a factor which is not living? (ie. rainfall)

37
Q

why do food chains not exceed 4/5 tertiary levels?

A

not enough energy can be transferred to sustain life processes) - because of 10% rule

38
Q

what does a pyramid of numbers show?

A
  • the population at each trophic level (how many there are)
39
Q

what do pyramid of numbers not take into account?

A

the size of the organism present

40
Q

how do scientists calculate biomass?

A
  • get dead organism
  • dry the organism in a kiln (evaporate water mass)
  • then measure it

CALLED DRY MASS

41
Q

how do scientists calculate the total biomass at each trophic level?

A

measure average mass of each organism and multiply by the number of organisms present

42
Q

state three reasons biomass is lost between trophic levels

A
  • not all organism is eaten (animal bones/ plant roots)
  • biomass is used during respiration
  • some parts of organism cannot be digested (hair/teeth)
  • released as waste products (excretion/ urine)
43
Q

what is the nutrient cycle?

A

the process in which materials are passed between biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem

44
Q

what is carbon used to make?

A

GLUCOSE which makes…

  • carbohydrates
  • fat
  • dna
  • proteins
45
Q

in what form can organisms use nitrogen?

A

when part of a compound (like a nitrate)

46
Q

why do organisms use nitrogen?

A
  • DNA

- proteins

47
Q

Apart from providing water to organisms, describe another benefit of the water cycle

A

transports nutrients (helps replenish nutrients in different habitats)

48
Q

how is carbon removed from the atmosphere?

A
  • photosynthesis
49
Q

how is carbon released back into the atmosphere? (3)

A
  • respiration
  • decomposition
  • burning fossil fuels
50
Q

how does the level of atmospheric carbon vary throughout 24 hours?

A
  • decreases during daytime (photosynthesis)

- increases during nighttime (no photosynthesis, but respiration continues)

51
Q

how do decomposers help the nutrient cycle?

A

release nutrients (can be recycled)

52
Q

what are detritivores?

A

small animals which shred organic material to small pieces (create larger surface area for decomposers)

53
Q

how do temperatures affect rate of decomposition?

A
  • too high = enzymes used by microorganisms denature (they die)
  • too low = rate of enzyme controlled reactions too slow
54
Q

how does lack of water in environments affect rate of decomposition?

A
  • not enough water = reactions slow down/stop
55
Q

how does lack of oxygen affect decomposition?

A

decreases, oxygen needed for microorganism to respire (so cannot survive)

56
Q

what is the equation to calculate the rate of decay of material?

A

rate of decay (g/day) = change in mass (g) / time (day)

57
Q

give 3 examples of detritivores

A
  • earthworm
  • woodlouse
  • maggot
58
Q

what 3 factors affect rate of decomposition?

A

water level, temperature, oxygen level

59
Q

difference between role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and nitrifying bacteria (2)

A
  • nitrifying turns ammonia to nitrates
  • nitrogen-fixing turns nitrogen into nitrates

B4-B6 (8 decks)

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